Friday 2 December 2016 For immediate distribution

The voice of summer returns

With the summer of rolling on, the ABC Radio commentary team welcomes a refreshed line-up for the New Zealand ODI and the Test series, including the return of a familiar voice.

Lisa Sthalaker will provide expert comments for the New Zealand ODIs and Alison Mitchell will do ball by ball commentary for the Pakistan test series. ABC Grandstand also welcomes back the voice of summer, Jim Maxwell.

“We are really excited to bring two strong female voices into our commentary team. Both Alison and Lisa are well respected cricket voices and bring with them a wealth of knowledge, along with their own unique perspectives and insights into the game of cricket,” said Nick Morris, Head of ABC Sport.

“We are also delighted that Jim is going to make a partial return to the commentary box after suffering a stroke in August. Jim has been working really hard on his rehabilitation and will return for the ODI this Sunday in Sydney and then for the Sydney test match in January.”

Former Australian international cricketer and current NSW representative player Lisa Sthalaker was rated as the world’s leading all-rounder, and was a member of the 2013 Cricket World Cup winning team. Lisa will join Chris Rogers and Simon Katich for the three One Day International games against New Zealand, from Sunday 4 December.

Alison Mitchell, fresh from covering Pakistan’s recent tour of England, will be an integral part of the commentary team for the v Pakistan test series from Friday 13 January. Alison is no stranger to cricket lovers worldwide, with regular appearances on the BBC for programs such as , Five Live Sports and the Stumped podcast. She also holds the distinction of being the first woman to call men’s cricket on ABC Grandstand in Australia in 2015.

Don’t miss the action this summer

ODI Series: Australia v New Zealand Local time AEDT* Sun 4 Dec 1st ODI Sydney SCG 2.20pm 2.20pm Tue 5 Dec 2nd ODI Canberra Manuka Oval 2.20pm 2.20pm Fri 9 Dec 3rd ODI Melbourne MCG 2.20pm 2.20 pm

Test Series: Australia v Pakistan Local time AEDT* Thu 15 Dec 1st Test Brisbane GABBA 1.00pm 2.00pm Mon 26 Dec 2nd Test Melbourne MCG 10.30am 10.30am Tue 3 Jan 3rd Test Sydney SCG 2.20pm 2.20 pm

All games are live and commercial free on ABC Local Radio and ABC Grandstand Digital. To find your local frequency visit abc.net.au/local. To find out more details about digital radio go to radio.abc.net.au/help.

ENDS For more information on ABC Grandstand’s Cricket coverage please contact: Angela Scrymgour, Brand Manager ABC Radio – 0418 650 553